THE 
TWELVE-RAYED ASTERIAS. 
O- 4 1 ^ *♦* *?* ^ ^ ^ ■% *&%%%•<& 
Generic Character. 
Body deprefled ; covered with a coriaceous cruft 
muricated with tentacula. 
Mouth central, five-valved. 
Specific Character , &c. 
\ 
ASTERIAS with twelve or thirteen rays, and 
the furface entirely muricated with fhort 
fafcicular prcceffes. 
TWELVE-RAYED SEA-STAR. 
Pennant Brit. Zooh 4. p. 56. No. 72. 
The fpecies of Star-Filh are extremely numerous. 
Of thofe which are natives of the coaffs of Britain 
the-prefent is the mod confpicuous, and is fome- 
times found of twice or thrice the diameter of the 
figure rcprefented on the plate. Its color is a yel- 
lowifh red above, and paler beneath; but different 
fpecimens vary as to intenfity of color, fome being 
of a deep or dufky red. The number of rays is 
commonly thirteen; fometim.es twelve, as in the 
prefent fpecimen, and fometimes as far as fifteen. 
